The County Chronicle

The online newspaper of Loudoun County High School

Jan
30

By

YOUTH OBLIVIOUS TO WORLD EVENTS

Category: Editorial

It seems to be a theme we come back to each issue this year, it’s highlighted by our guest opinion piece by Arlene Lewis, and it’s an issue that has become compounded in our lifetimes.
Perhaps people have always been more concerned with their own well being than important events and disasters happening in the world, but it seems electronics have made this problem much worse for us.

As an “altered generation,” our youth are addicted to electronics. Everyone grew up around them, and in a vicious cycle became more self-absorbed and less concerned about the real world. Now, we are approaching voting age, and we are frequently uninformed. In an election year, this is concerning. According to The Washington Post, a mere 36 percent of young voters actually voted in the last election.

The statistics are shocking. A poll at theguardian.com reveals that 85% of Americans are oblivious to hunger in Africa and the Middle East. And yet, according to ABC News, teens spend an average of seven hours and 22 minutes a day on their phones. That is almost a full-time job.

Young people are not encouraged to make a difference, whether it’s donating or helping, and they are led to believe they can’t make a difference. While this should bother them, their electronics are a distraction that keeps them pacified. Why worry about the world when you can check your phone instead?

This generation needs to realize that they’re the future of our world and a key part of our society. Someone, somewhere, should be placing a larger emphasis on keeping up with world issues.
Perhaps we should stop waiting for someone else to tell us what to do. Whether it’s through a newspaper, a news show, or the Internet, we need to take the initiative to be informed. Electronics themselves are not inherently bad, but the way they are being used is making us more complacent towards the problems of the world.

Today, you hold the world in your pocket, with constant access to Wi-Fi and 4G. Our question to you: how are you going to use it to change our world for the better?

Jan
30

By

COMMUNITY INDEPENDENCE INSTRUCTION: STUDENTS DEVELOP REAL-LIFE SKILLS

Category: News

Olivia Zavadil | Business Manager

Infographic by Olivia Zavadil, powered by Piktochart

Opening boxes, stocking merchandise, and tagging items. These might seem like mundane tasks, but for students participating in LCHS’s Community Independence Instruction program, completing these tasks is one step closer to finding success in their communities. Many students that have graduated out of the CII program have gone on to hold successful jobs around town.

“Empower ALL students to make meaningful contributions to the world with the skills necessary to do so through Community Independence Instruction.” This is the goal of the LCPS Community Independence Instruction program (CII). Students graduating with an Applied Studies Diploma and students participating in the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program are eligible for the program, which aims to support student independence.

“What we try to achieve is to give some exposure to vocational skills, interacting with the community, life skills and solving problems,” said teacher Madeline Lane. “My kids love doing vocational skills. The whole point of it is not the task itself, but the fact that they can be completed and repeated.”

CII students participate in weekly activities that help with the transition from high school into their communities. “The LCPS recommendation for high school students and returning post-graduates is one to three times per week off-campus, and one to two times a week on campus,” said teacher Martha Schonberger. “Life ready skills are taught in the classroom, then practiced, then generalized throughout the school and into our community.”

CII lessons take place during school hours and follow a weekly schedule that gets pre-approved by the LCPS Transition Specialist every quarter. “For my quarterly planning purposes, my CII’s follow a day of the week schedule as opposed to an A/B day schedule, as local businesses have no idea what an A/B day schedule means,” said Schonberger. “So, for instance, this quarter we may go to one locale every Wednesday morning and another location every Tuesday afternoon.”

CII lessons are built around seven core topics: Work-based learning, Personal Management/Independent Living, Academics, Communication/Social Competence, Community), Motor Skills and Self-determination/Self-advocacy. These lessons are approved by job coaches and transition teachers that provide support to students.

“For me, not all of my students go to every CII site every time. I match students with locations that compliment individual skill sets, vocational goals, academic goals, and communication goals,” said Schonberger.

Aside from school activities, many local businesses also take part in CII. Some of these businesses include restaurants, horse stables, grocery stores, and retirement homes. “Currently, for example, LCHS is partnered with Mobile Hope, Costco, Rust Library, Catoctin Elementary School, Big Lots, Michaels, Ledo Pizza, Walgreens, Play It Again Sports, Giant as well as LCHS school-based cafeteria and library,” said teacher Chelsea Eddy.

Jan
30

By

ANNEX DEDICATED TO MILITARY HERO JAMES “JIMMY” F. ADAMOUSKI

Category: News

Brendan Casey | ROTC correspondent

“BLAZE OF GLORY”

NJROTC

The Drill Team performs as part of the dedication ceremony on November 11. The dedication, which included honored guests, followed the school-wide Veteran’s Day Assembly. Photo courtesy of LCHS NJROTC Public Affairs.

The NJROTC Annex was renamed in honor of military hero US Army Captain James F. “Jimmy” Adamouski during a Veterans Day ceremony held on November 11, 2019 at Loudoun County High School, after a unanimous vote by the school board.

“Captain Adamouski was a man who set high standards for himself and expected that from others as well,” said Master Chief Deanna Foust. “That is something that we strive to instill in our cadets in NJROTC.”

Army Captain James Adamouski had a distinguished military career, as reported by David Cho of The Washington Post. He served four tours in Bosnia and Kosovo prior to his deployment to Kuwait. This was to be his last tour before his enrollment in Harvard Business school. Captain Adamouski was killed in action on April 2, 2003, making him the first West Point graduate to die in Iraq. Adamouski, along with five others, perished when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed.

The official dedication occurred following a school-wide Veteran’s Day assembly, during which the Naval JROTC drill teams performed. The event that followed was held for members of the West Point Alumni Association and invited dignitaries, including Loudoun County school board chairman Jeff Morse, Army three-star General (Ret) Ray Palumbo, Army General (Ret) Richard A. Cody, Captain Adamouski’s sister Karen Marion, and Adamouski’s father, Army retired Army col. Frank Adamouski.

“My hope is that this generation and generations to come will look at Jim Adamouski—look at how he served. How he lived his life and be inspired by it,” Cody said, as reported by Tim Barber of ABC 7 News.

Adamouski’s father, a Vietnam veteran, said, “He died in a blaze of glory, and he’s an American hero,” as stated in the Arlington National Cemetery Website Obituary.

“Jimmy would never be satisfied with the bare minimum and neither should anyone else,” said Foust. “He gave his life not only doing what he loved, but to protect our freedoms. His life is a great example for our cadets and it’s very fitting that our Annex be named after him. We should all strive to be like Jimmy.”

Nov
20

By

HEAVY LIFTING: ENGLISH TEACHER PLACES THIRD IN WEIGHTLIFTING COMPETITION

Category: End Zone

Olivia Zavadil | Business Manager

English teacher Paige Illig lifts 48 kilograms in the clean and jerk. Illig has been competing in weighlifting competitions such as the Black and Red open in her free time. Photo courtesy of Paige Illig.

Paige Illig might seem like your average English teacher with her petite frame and mild personality, but she has a surprising talent; Olympic weightlifting. This past year, Illig placed third in her class at the Black and Red open in Reston.


Illig first became interested in weightlifting a year ago when her boyfriend convinced her to give it a try. “I was always really lazy, and I hated working out,” said Illig. “When I started lifting weights, it was fun, and I started to get the results that I wanted.”


Illig also enjoys the challenging and competitive environment that comes along with the lifts. “The lifts are a challenge to do, and it’s a way to add competition to something that wouldn’t normally be competitive,” she said.


Illig competes in various weightlifting competitions throughout the year, most frequently in the Black and Red open competition.The competitions are organized in the same way as a swim meet; you cheer on your teammates, but you are still competing as an individual against them.


While placing third in her class is a huge accomplishment, Illig does not view this as her most notable accomplishment. “Being able to clean and jerk a hundred pounds was a personal victory for me,” Illig said. “Placing didn’t really make that much of a difference to me, but having that personal victory of getting the weight that I really wanted.”


In regards to anyone interested in picking up Olympic weightlifting, Illig suggests doing research and being wary of injury.


“Make sure you know how to properly lift before you start so you don’t get hurt, because it’s super easy to pull something or hurt yourself,” she said. “It’s a very easy thing to fall into, and once you start with that community it’s very easy to reach out to other people that can help you.”


Comparing weightlifting to teaching, Illig noted the reversal of roles from teacher to student. “I definitely see the relation in the way of learning from someone who is more experienced than you, and being more of a student,” she said.

Nov
20

By

LATIN CLASSES MAP ANCIENT ROMAN WORLD ON CLASSROOM FLOOR

Category: End Zone

Byron VanEpps | Raider Staff

Alec Steel, Coleman Hamilton, and Maddeline Potts color the borders of the map on the floor of the Latin classroom. Over the year, Latin students will interact with the map in order to enhance learning about the history of the Ancient Roman Empire. Photo: Karen Cortes

Earlier this year, Latin Teacher Lynn Krepich unveiled a plan to her students to create a map of the ancient roman world on the classroom’s floor. “I got the idea from watching Peter Jennings on ABC,” Krepich said. Jennings would walk over a map in the studio whenever he was reporting on something overseas. “It really puts you there and gets you more interested in the news and what he was reporting on,“ Krepich said.


Krepich asked for the map to be made in order to help her students understand more about what they’re reading and learning about in class. “I think it makes a lot more sense if students know, well, where is Tuscany?” Krepich said when giving an example about a Latin 4 Class. Krepich also feels it would be good for students to know where certain words or phrases derive from when translating authentic Latin.


To create the map, she assigned junior Jackson Chinn as map designer and leader of the project. Chinn has lots of experience in cartography, so him leading the project worked out well. “I used to make maps when I was little, which is a little unorthodox for somebody to do in their spare time when they’re in elementary school,” Chinn said.


The boundaries, territories, and geography has been outlined using masking tape, with the map covering the entire floor of the classroom. Soon, the masking tape will be painted with different colors representing different land masses. Chinn has already placed the grid of masking tape on the floor of the classroom, made up of 70 by 70 centimeter boxes each representing a 500 by 500 kilometer area. Krepich expects the map to be completed by the first quarter, so that it is able to be used year round.


The map will start off with basic labels, but Krepich and Chinn are leaving it up to the students to help create labels and icons for specific areas on the map. “It’s all going to be based on what they study from the Latin perspective,” Krepich said. Krepich plans to tie this into the curriculum as well, having the icons students create relate to the unit they’re studying. “Latin 2 is currently studying the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, so they could create icons for those areas and place them on the map,” Krepich said.


Krepich hopes students are able to make more connections to Latin through this project. “It is essential that every Latin student understands not only the syntax of the text but also the geography that frames the ancient writing and the roman authors,” Krepich said. 


“I love how now that we’re translating, that we’re able to go in more depth and actually see where Caesar travelled during the Gallic Wars,” Latin 6 Student Christina Kendrat said.

Nov
20

By

The Loudoun Raider thanks FCA for its support

Category: Sports

Nov
20

By

NOTABLE ATHLETES FROM THE PAST INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME

Category: Sports

Cara Hodge | Editor in Chief


The athletic department recently inducted nine former County students into the Hall of Fame, ranging from past football quarterbacks and basketball stars to current New York lawyers and business owners. “It brought back fond and proud memories with my teammates and classmates who were avid Raiders’ fans,” said Jack Barrett, one of the inductees who was named “Most Athletic” by the Class of 1961 and went on to be a history teacher for 33 years.


“My athletic success enhanced my desire to experience similar satisfaction in other life adventures,” said Barrett, who was not only a teacher but the president of Quality Pool Company and Loudoun Golf and Country Club, as well as the author of five books on the history of Loudoun County. “Success in athletics leads to success in other elements,” Barrett said. It is clear that his drive for success is rooted in earlier accomplishments.


“It feels great to be on the wall with all the other accomplished athletes to come through LCHS,” said inductee Brian Fixx, Class of 1989, who was captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams during high school. Fixx went on to play basketball at California University of Pennsylvania where his team advanced to the Final Four in the 1991-1992 season. “I tend to lean on my athletic experiences to help with my business approach as well as in helping others that I coach,” Fixx stated, giving merit to how he was able to apply athletics to his professional life as well as to influence the future generation of athletes.


“The Hall of Fame is a great testament to the rich history of our school and our athletic accomplishments,” said Athletic Director Kate Cassidy. The Hall of Fame was started six years ago. Every year from February to May a committee of eight staff members meet to look through nominations and choose who is most notable.


Applications are submitted by family or friends of past Loudoun County athletes who have gone on to accomplish many things in their athletic careers. The family or friends are required to provide documentation of past and present accomplishments and records of success.


“Having our athletes walk by the Hall of Fame pictures everyday is a great motivator for them to perform their best and strive to one day be on the wall,” said Cassidy. In addition to Brian Fixx and Jack Barrett, the Class of 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees include:


Bill Oblas, Administrator: Oblas was involved in Loudoun County Public Schools for over 40 years. He served as principal of Loudoun County from 2004-2014, where he helped form the infamous “Raider Riot.” He was actively involved in VHSL and served on the District Council for nine years.


Katie Baldwin, ‘02: Baldwin was a four-year letter winner for Raider basketball and broke multiple records during her high school career. She went on to play Division 1 basketball at St. Francis College and the University of North Carolina, where she would later coach as well as at Tusculum College. She now owns her own in-home personal training company.


Dennis Duff, ‘74: Duff earned seven varsity letters during his career at LCHS for his participation in football, basketball, and baseball. He was best known for his accomplishments in baseball where he led the team with a .491 batting average senior year. He went on to play baseball at VA Tech, where he would break the record for home runs. He is now a career firefighter in Fairfax County.


Joe Hembrook, ’98: Hembrook ran four years of varsity cross country and track and field for the Raiders. He broke multiple school records in track and field as well as a state title and earned All-State honors in both sports as a senior. He went on to run at Christopher Newport University where he is still in the top ten all time in the 800.


Nancy McBride, ‘76: McBride was an eight-time letter winner for the Raiders. She helped the basketball team win District Championships three years in a row and pitched for the softball team all four years. She won All-District honors three years for basketball and was named the Northwestern District Player of the Year as a senior. She played on the Loudoun Women’s Fastpitch Softball League before heading off to Radford University.


Morgan Petkovich, ‘08: Petkovich was a member of the first LCHS volleyball team to capture a state title in 2007. As a senior she was named First Team All-District, All-Region, and All-State, then earned a full-ride to play volleyball at Villanova University, where she gained Big East All-Conference honors and joined the 1,000-killclub. She graduated from Columbia Law School and now works as a sports and antitrust lawyer in New York.


James Wynn, ‘98: While in high school Wynn was captain for football, wrestling, and baseball. He received many honors in all three sports and placed 5th in the state for wrestling. He was elected Most Athletic by his senior class and was awarded the Donald F. Larson Scholarship for Citizenship, Honesty, Integrity, Loyalty, Sportsmanship, and Human Decency. He went on to attend law school at the University of Virginia.

Nov
20

By

ATHLETE OF THE ISSUE: ALAYNA JOHNSON

Category: Sports

Byron VanEpps | Raider Staff

Alayna Johnson digs the ball during the September 5 home game against Stone Bridge High School. Photo: Debbie Senchak


For our first athlete of the issue, the newspaper staff nominated Alayna Johnson, freshman varsity volleyball player. Johnson, who has been playing volleyball for three years, is a libero and has played in all games (19 so far, at the time of publication) this season.


Johnson’s Coach, John Senchak, cites her speed, quickness, and natural ability to read the game at high speeds as reasons for her being on the varsity team. “Once I and Coach Christina North saw all of these elements in Alayna, we then had to see how she would interact with the returning varsity players. Once they accepted her as a teammate, the decision to keep her on the varsity roster was easy,” Senchak said, noting that her defensive instincts are better than any he has seen in his eight-year coaching career, with her (at the time of writing) 43 defensive digs.


Johnson and the rest of the team practice two and a half hours every day and three hours every Saturday morning until the season ends in November, but the schedule does not seem to be a burden. “The team is very caring and loving and they have a lot of support towards every player on the team,” Johnson said.


Johnson boasts a 91.7 percent serve rating along with other impressive stats, like a tremendous 18 sets played within her first three months of playing, as well as 4 aces.


“Alayna is a great defender, she’s always ready to jump in and defend,” said sophomore setter and outside hitter Sarah Jordan. “I love playing with her.”

Nov
20

By

SWIFTEST RUNNERS REVEAL THE VALUE OF CROSS COUNTRY

Category: Sports

Cara Hodge | Editor in Chief

Senior Suzie Dilorenzo runs at the meet at Great Meadows in September. Dilorenzo took 14th place overall at the Loudoun County Championships with a time of 19:39.50. Photo: Raider Sports

What makes running for miles in the sweltering heat on uneven terrain worth doing? It’s a question many have pondered as they’ve watched struggling runners crawl past the finish line. For two of Loudoun County’s fastest cross country runners, senior Suzie Dilorenzo and junior Sean Rombach, the answer is simple.


“Going into freshman year one of my friends was saying that her parents were making her do it,” said Dilorenzo. She had no previous running experience and joined solely because she thought it would be fun to be a part of a team.


“It’s rewarding, because you work really hard and get the results you want. It’s all about being stronger than you think you are.” Dilorenzo has done just that, participating in cross country all four years of high school and is now one of the fastest runners on the team.


For Dilorenzo, her most memorable race “would have to be Third Battle last year  because I broke 20 minutes, and the rest of my team got lifetime and season PRs.” She ran this fast pace into this year as she got an impressive 5k time of 19:39.50 and took 14th place at the Loudoun County Championships.


“I started running in fourth grade and carried it through high school and I’ve kind of reignited my passion,” said Rombach, who has participated in cross country all three years of high school. “I really like the team effort. You’re all working to move up,” Rombach stated. He gives a lot of credit to the team aspect of cross country for influencing him to run every year.


Rombach’s most memorable race was also at the Third Battle Invitational where his strategy was “to stay in a fast pack and let them carry me through 1.5 miles faster than I had ever gone.” He said it was also his most difficult race and that he pushed his “body to absolute exhaustion.” In the end he collapsed across the finish line with a time of 17:00.6, a significant personal record for his sophomore cross country season.


“Earning a lifetime best and All-County” this year he placed 15th at the LCPS Championships with a time of 16:56.9. “We have high hopes and Coach Campbell knows he needs to push us,” Rombach said. He is confident in himself and his team’s ability to reach their goal of making it to states this year.


“We’re all working for each other,” Rombach said. “Each position matters for team scoring and this season we’ve lit a fire.” Most people think of cross country as an individual sport but each person’s time has an affect on their team’s overall time. “I’ve met a lot of great people through it, a lot of lifetime friends, it’s a good atmosphere,” said Dilorenzo. For both of these star runners it’s the people and the coaches that motivate them to work as hard as they do.


“I honestly think it was better for me. I met more people so I was more comfortable in high school,” said Dilorenzo. Cross country has given both these runners the ability to form strong bonds and a real connection to the sport. “I’m considering running in college now because I want to work with a team for longer,” said Rombach. There is no reluctance to run among these two, both are possibly looking to run in college, always wanting to have, as Dilorenzo said, “a family thing” to be apart of.

Nov
20

By

The Loudoun Raider thanks the Loudoun Library for its support

Category: Arts and Entertainment

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